Automating the complex carb counting process for people with diabetes.
Challenge
Help people with diabetes better estimate the carbs in their meals
People with diabetes, specifically Type 2, struggle to estimate the carbohydrates in their meals. This is important as patients can experience hypoglycaemia through incorrectly estimated carb intake and insulin bolus.
- People with diabetes often have to spend a lot of time calculating their carb intake and adjusting their insulin doses.
- This can be a burden, especially for people with busy lives.
- Ineffective management of blood glucose can lead to other chronic health complications, such as weight gain, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping.
Approach
Research
Research with diabetes patients showed a need for a better way to count carbohydrates, as using tables is time-consuming and cumbersome.
Design
We conducted a user-centered design process creating the UX and UI iteratively with real user input.
Develop
We developed an AI-driven solution using cross-platform machine learning algorithms for Android and iOS.
Solution
A smartphone app allowing patients to get carbohydrate value from a photo of their meal.
AI-augmented image recognition for documenting meals.
People use the app to take a photo of their meal, which utilises image recognition technology to identify the meal itself, and the individual food items within it.
Algorithmically estimate carbohydrate count automatically.
AI and machine learning algorithms estimate the carbohydrate content of each food item and produce an estimated total carb value for the meal, greatly reducing the burdensome task of carb counting for the user.
Personalised bolus dose recommendation.
Combining data from the meal’s carbohydrate count, patient biometrics and their inputted basal profile, the app can then provide a personalised insulin bolus dose for that meal.
Outcome
8 out of 10 users said they would continue using the app after the pilot.
For Patients'
Gives patients' more confidence in carb values when choosing meals, allowing them to spend less time worrying about tedious carb counting.
For HCPs
Allowing HCPs to make better, more informed therapy decisions, supported by a detailed log of carb intake data alongside typical data points of CGM and basal/bolus doses.
For Payers
Reduced co-morbid health complications by giving patients' better self-management tools, resulting in a reduction in co-morbid health complications.
